Cautious progress in Wheatley evac zone

By Greg Coulter

WHEATLEY — After many months of uncertainty, Wheatley residents and businesses have begun the process of being granted access to their properties.

Safety crews were on hand Wednesday, November 17 at prearranged selected residences.

With the safety of all parties the primary concern, the green light was given for five property owners to enter their buildings.

Work crews could also be seen up and down Foster Avenue throughout the day on Thursday as trucks and trailers were loaded with appliances.

The property at the southeast corner of Foster and Victoria streets — furthest from the blast zone — was one of the first accessed.

Safety crews and contractors joined homeowners Brittany Dundas and Dan Amlin as they accessed their property first thing Thursday morning.

Appliances were removed by restoration contractors while the homeowners were allowed entry to remove any valuable items within a one-hour time frame. Officials were on hand at all times to monitor air quality and deal with any unexpected safety issues.

Gas monitoring continues through the entire evacuation site during the ongoing retrieval process.

If any reading of a dangerous level of air quality throughout the entire evacuation zone is present, notification is sent to the nearby fire officials. Three blasts of the fire truck’s whistle signifies that all parties must evacuate to the outer perimeter immediately.

Brittany and Dan were quick to point out that everyone was very kind and helpful throughout the process. They were pleasantly surprised at the overall favourable condition of their property and are cautiously optimistic that damage will be minimal.

They were grateful that the municipality and insurance company were able to coordinate with their assistance. They hope that everyone has a similar experience to what they have had.

“Everyone did a great job, and we were able to leave our home with a little less weight on our shoulders,” they said.